Extremely Picky Kitty!

[farscapekitties]

My Zombie has me at my wits end! She's becoming so finicky when it comes to eating, I don't know what to do anymore. She'll eat a certain food for about 3-4 days, then she wants nothing to do with it. At all. She was in a Purina One brand, then went off that. Then it was the kitten food we were feeding the boys. Then it was Purina One's True Instinct. Then a different kitten food. I've tried several different brands (Nutro Natural, Nature's Variety Instinct, Authority...), and she barely eats at all. I've never been able to find a wet food she likes. Anyone else have this kind of trouble? Any tips? :/

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Yes, I have the same issues with one of my boys. It's extremely frustrating . My boy will eat only one food for weeks on end (usually), then quit cold turkey, which leave us in a bind because we have no idea what he'll eat next, and believe me, I have tried with probably hundreds of different foods to find something else he'll eat. We're at that stage right now, and yesterday I threatened to take him to the Vet and have a feeding tube installed if he didn't start eating. That must have worked because he did eat for me then. but just enough to keep me from taking him in.

Sometimes with picky cats, a food they liked for a few days will be something they will enjoy again, AFTER another few days. Those cats seem to need variety. My other cat is like that...he wants something different for every meal, so I don't give him the same thing twice in a row. He may not even get the same food until 5 or 6 meals have passed, and that way he doesn't get tired of any one food. Your girl may be that way. Also, have you tried using toppers? You can used crushed kibble, parmesan cheese (from the green can), crushed treats, FortiFlora (a favorite of many cats, and it's also a probiotic), bonita flakes, etc. Someone said they even put some kibble UNDER the wet food to get their cat to each. It worked for them!

 

[farscapekitties]

I actually hadn't thought of any toppers. :/ Knowing my old lady, though, she would only eat that bit. It's the same with ANY wet food, she only licks at the liquid, then leaves the rest for the boys. I might have found problem - last month she had a tooth removed due to an infection, and now her other tooth is red and like an orangey-yellow color. :O. So I'm taking a picture and I'm off to the vet this afternoon. Who knew cats could be so expensive!

 

[mazie]

Katie was extremely finicky when I first brought her home from the shelter. So much so, I telephoned the shelter and asked them the type of food they fed the cats at that shelter. Since she was so thin when I got her, (2.5 years old), I started to feed her dry Kitten Chow to graze on and for the wet tried canned SHEBA interchanged with FANCY FEAST. She enjoyed those brands of wet, as long as it was not the pate. With SHEBA, I buy the "cuts" style, with Fancy Feast I buy the cans in the "grilled" style, which basically is the same as the "cuts" style. Now she will eat most any dry, IAMS she seems to enjoy a lot, and with the wet, what I mentioned above is still working for me. The most important thing for you is to not get stressed with the fact he/she is not eating that much, volume wise. As long as they are healthy, and food is accessible to him/her all the time, don't worry. If nothing is wrong with them physically, they will not starve themselves. Remember, our stress affects our pets as well as ourselves. I must remember for myself not to compare Katy's appetite to the appetite of the colony of ferals I used to feed. Ferals will eat like there is no tomorrow, they are so grateful to have food. Our house cats know they have access to food 24/7, just keep that in mind.

 

[farscapekitties]

My husband says the same thing lol. "Dont stress out she'll eat when she wants to." But it's so hard! I didn't catch her bad tooth in time, and she lost a lot of weight, and still hasn't gained her muscles back. So now, when she doesn't eat, I get super paranoid. She's 13 and I don't want her liver to go bad, or her kidneys. Everyone just keeps telling me that she's old, and old cats get thin. Trying to stay positive, thank you.

 

[mazie]

Ah, Hah!! So this is due to a health issue!! Has she been seen by her vet regarding her bad tooth? People, as we know eat thru pain, animals not so much. She needs to have her dental issues taken care of, even if it means extraction, cats do not need teeth to eat like we humans do, and if the vet needs to perform tooth/teeth extractions, she will be fine afterwards and start getting her appetite back. Please have her seen by her vet.

 

[farscapekitties]

She had one tooth pulled last month, and when he saw her he said to change her food, the tooth was fine. Guess I'll go get a second opinion.

 

[lisahe]

Ah, Hah!! So this is due to a health issue!! Has she been seen by her vet regarding her bad tooth? People, as we know eat thru pain, animals not so much. She needs to have her dental issues taken care of, even if it means extraction, cats do not need teeth to eat like we humans do, and if the vet needs to perform tooth/teeth extractions, she will be fine afterwards and start getting her appetite back. Please have her seen by her vet.

This is so true about cats and pain: sometimes they don't seem to be in pain (they still play and so on) but, yes, tooth problems can really put their appetites down.

Since Zombie is 13, I'd also suggest getting a blood panel done. It's a great way to get a baseline for things like thyroid and kidney disease. Even if there turn out to be obvious tooth problems, having the data form the blood panel can come in very handy a few years later. It did for us with our previous cat: I admit I was skeptical about the need for the panel but was glad to have it later, when Brooksie began having minor health issues.

Good luck, farscapekitties , I hope you're able to find an easy solution to Zombie's eating issues!

 

[farscapekitties]

Reread my last post, lol sorry the vet saw her last Friday and said the tooth was fine and to change her food. I'm going to get a second opinion, though. I'm not very happy with this guy anyway. And she did have a panel done last year, and her number were normal. I will ask for that to be done as well. Thank you for all the replies!

 

[lisahe]

Reread my last post, lol sorry the vet saw her last Friday and said the tooth was fine and to change her food. I'm going to get a second opinion, though. I'm not very happy with this guy anyway. And she did have a panel done last year, and her number were normal. I will ask for that to be done as well. Thank you for all the replies!

That's great that you already had the blood panel done so you have a basis for comparison now -- even slight changes can be significant, particularly for those thyroid and kidney numbers.

And yes, sometimes a second opinion is just the ticket! Do you happen to have a cat specialist (or a better cat specialist?!) in your area? I'm so much happier taking our current cats to a cat specialist after an all-animals clinic was so unknowledgable about our previous cat's weight and illnesses.

Fingers crossed!

 

[farscapekitties]

Unfortunately I don't live near a specialist. But the vet who pulled her tooth even a month ago said they all looked really good except for the offender. I guess I didn't realize how quickly that could change.

 

[lisahe]

Yes, teeth can be trouble! We brush our cats' teeth because they've had problems with tartar and gingivitis. It really helps: one cat sometimes gets a bit of redness along her gum line but focusing on that area clears it up quickly.